Protective vest.



IER a; J. H. TOWERS.

foTncTm; vns'r.

APPLIOATIOI FILED JAH. 9. 1909.

Patented May 11, 1909.

....wuiewuu s 0% uw??? o ww UNITED STATES iATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE HAZZARD BLAKER AND JOHN HENERY TOWERS, OF MAUMEE, OHIO.

` PROTECTIVE VEST.

Spdatlon o! Letten Patent.-

Patented Hay 1 1, 1909:

" Ammann ami new; o, im. serial iranien.

To all whom it concern:

Be it known thatwe, GnoaGn-H. Bulma and JOHN H. Townss, oitisens of the United States, residing at Maumee, county of Lucas, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Protective Yeste, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention yrelates to vests and particularly to protective vests to be worn by policemen, and the object of our invention 1s to provide a protective vest which shall cover the vital parts of the body and rotect the same from bullet or knife woun s.

A further object of our invention is to Irovide a vest as mentioned which shal be flexible and of light weight to the end that the same may be worn without discomfort.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

Our invention consists generally in a vest Formed of tough fabric such as canvas and shaped to lit snu ly the bod of the wearer. This is covered y a pluia iti(l of separate plates formed of t iin steel. lie plates are secured to strips of tough flexible material as by riveting, the edges of the plates overlapping each other and the -stripe to which the plates are secured, are secured, prefer-l abl by stitching, to the vest.

Tur invention further consists in various details of construction and arrangementsof parts all as will be fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Our invention will be more readily understood Iby reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which, I

Figure 1, is a front view of protective vest embodying our invention in its preferred form, Fig. 2, is a detail view illustrating the manner of attaching the plates, Fi 3, is a similar view illustrat a slight y' modified form of plate, Fig. 4, is a similar view illustrating a modiiicationof the manner of attaching the plates and Fig. 5, 'is a section on the hne :rr-x of Fi .4.

Referring now to the drawings 1 indicates a vest formed of fabric suoli as canvas yopen at the front as at 2. The vest is shaped as at 3 to conform to the neck of the wearer and is rovided with the usual arm holes 4. The ower edge of the vest is extended as at 5 to 'cover allof the vital parts of the body.

6 indicates small metal plates-which are preferably formed of thin steel and which.

cover the entire vest portion 1. The plates 6 are first secured to iiexible strips 7 as by rivets 8 and are fixed to the'stri s 7 so that their adjacent edges overlap as s own clearly in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive. The stri a V7 are then suecessivel stitched to the fa ric 1 so that the plates overla those on the strip beneath. It shoul be noted that b this construction the plates arenot secure to each other hence the vest is substantially as flexible as an ordina vest and may be worn with comfort.

InrFig. 3 we have illustrated a slight modiication in the plates. In this form the upper overlapping comer of each plate is cut away as at 9 so that the platea in row do not overls atthe point where they are secured tot e strips 7, that is at their u per edges. This increases the flexibility o the device. Each plate is preferably substantially rectangular except that its lower end is rounded, and are referably of greater length than width, alt ough we do not limit our invention to this particular shape..

In Figs. 2 and 3, we have illustrated the platee in each row lapped in the saine direc tion, but if desired t e lates in each alternate row may be laplpe in the opposite d-irections as illustrate in Figs. 4 an 5. This latter construction affords greater protection, particularly from knife wounds as it is obvious that if al knife should netrate between the'plates of one row it will glide harmlessl along the plates of the row beneath. To asten the vest one edge of the front is rovided with a plurality of tabs 10 having button holes 11 and the op osite edge is provided with buttons 12 rei) the plates 6 and at su cient distance from the odge to maintain the edges in overlapped position.

Having described our-invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Lettern 1. A protective vest comprisinga arment Patent is:

attached to each strip will erably riveted to l plates overlapping and the upper corners of' the overlapping edgis boing cut away, substantially as descri d.

2. A protective vest com rising a rment formed of fie ble material) in com ination sumas l with a plurality of metalI lates secured to l names to this specification in the presence of said garment 1n rows, the e ges of the plates two subscribing witnesses.

in each row overlap ing and each row of plates overlapping t e adjacent rows, and ER' 5 the plates in the' successive rows lapping in opposite directions, substantially as de- Witnesses: j

scribed. Jorm Rmnmx.,

f In testimony whereof'we have signed our D. H. PEBRIN 

